If he was disappointed, the 34-year-old didn't show it –
aside from that comment, that is – in his rollicking, two-hour show that took
the energetic, sold-out crowd through all but three of the 12 songs on "Southeastern,"
along with a healthy selection of favorites from Isbell's Drive-By Truckers
days and two of his other studio efforts.

Isbell was backed Friday night by the 400 Unit, a five-piece
that includes his wife, Amanda Shires, on violin and vocals. For portions of
the show, Isbell added a three-piece horn section that included Birmingham
musicians Chad Fisher on trombone and Rob Alley on trumpet, along with
Tuscaloosa resident Brad Guin on saxophone.

That nine-headed monster punched up songs such as "Godd**n
Lonely Love," from Isbell's Truckers days, "Relatively Easy" and "Stockholm"
from "Southeastern," and "Heart on a String," a Candi Staton cover Isbell
recorded for 2011's "Here We Rest."

At one point, Isbell said the horn section sometimes catches
him by surprise, especially when he hits a big chord and they wrap "you in a
big horn blanket and you just feel great."

For other tunes, he dismissed from the stage all but
Shires and keyboardist Derry deBorja, and let his voice soar.

That three-piece line-up was true for "Elephant," a tearjerker
about standing by a friend while she is dying of cancer and perhaps the best
song from "Southeastern." After "Elephant," the songwriter shared a story about someone
who yelled "Play a sad song!" following that tune at another concert.

"I know these songs are sad, I made them up, they make
me sad," Isbell told the crowd at Iron City. "They don't make me sad when
I'm up here playing them in front of you."

Isbell seemed to hit every note and every lyric throughout the
night. The band was in lockstep. Isbell's relatively newfound sobriety showed
in the tightness of his performance.

And the crowd was thankful. During "Cover Me Up," the first
track off of "Southeastern," the audience cheered their support as Isbell sang
the line, "I sobered up, I swore off the stuff, forever this time."

Isbell, a Greenhill, Ala.-native, returned love to the
Alabama crowd, mentioning that a lot of great music was coming out of
Birmingham these days.

"I've had some of my best nights and some of my worst
nights here in Birmingham and y'all keep showing up," he said in between "Go
It Alone" and "Outfit," the third and fourth songs of his set.

After a 19-song set lasting about an hour and 45 minutes,
Isbell and his band took a two-minute long break before returning for a
two-song encore – "Super 8" and The Rolling Stones cover "Can't You Hear Me
Knocking" – with his horn section.

Isbell's flawless performance Friday showcased his excellent
songwriting, his powerful voice – a performance that would leave any fan well
satisfied.